Writer

Month

January 2016

I thought that when 24 hours had passed, I might be able to compose myself and not weep copious amounts at the mere mention of his name. But, dear reader, if you could see me now, you would know that I’ve failed. Emotions are like that.

David Bowie has been in my life since I was 12 years old and for that reason alone, his death feels like some kind of personal loss. I grew up in a world of strange, irrational hatred, where lines were marked and you did not cross them. When I say that doing so could end in death, I am not being dramatic. We grew up scared. But David Bowie showed me that there was a way out of other people’s fear, other people’s control and other people’s ideas of who you should be and what you should do.

Through him, I realized there was an actual real world of limitless creativity populated by shapeshifting creatures of immeasurable beauty and courage and talent. If there was one thing he gave the world, apart from his music, it was courage to be free and shake off the shackles of conformity. Today, more than ever, we need our acts of creativity and bravery – why stop now?